click to enlarge

Michael Lerner is a one-man band called Telekinesis, and he recorded an album for Merge which he titled by adding an exclamation point to his band name. The album, which is enjoyable to listen to, was produced by Death Cab for Cutie guitarist (and erstwhile producer) Chris Walla. The reason I ask Lerner about Japan is because he supposedly really loves Japan, even though he's never been there. Which is basically the opposite of how I feel about Cool Springs. The reason I ask him about sandwiches is because I love a good sandwich.

Anyway, go ahead and listen to the song "Coast of Carolina," preferably at a loud volume.

Then go see Telekinesis play at The End on Monday, 23rd with Say Hi (formerly known as Say Hi to Your Mom).

Nashville Cream: It seems that just a few years ago, Seattle was very much a hard-rockin' kind of town, and you had to sound like Murder City Devils to get any traction. (Tullycraft, for example, used to almost never play in their hometown, but were well-received elsewhere.) Has that changed much?

Michael Lerner: Yes, I think it has most definitely changed. Probably due to the sheer volume of bands in the city of Seattle. I would say we've definitely got a scene happening right now, which I would attribute to Death Cab for Cutie, Band Of Horses, and others. But, a group like the Fleet Foxes (who sound much more folky and old time-y than either of the aforementioned groups) were still very much embraced here in Seattle when they started playing around here. I would like to think that our city has quite an open mind when it comes to different genres of music being accepted. We've got a healthy hardcore scene (These Arms Are Snakes, Triumph Of Lethargy), we've got a healthy hip-hop scene (Blue Scholars, Champagne Champagne), and we've got a healthy folk scene (Fleet Foxes). Telekinesis definitely fits into the indie-pop category, and I feel like every time we play in Seattle, we feel more than accepted. It's really an amazing city, especially musically.

Cream: How was working with Chris Walla?

Lerner: Incredible. And I truly mean that. Chris is not only one of the nicest human beings on this planet, but he is a total genius. Working with him was a dream, and the two weeks we spent in the studio were some of the best two weeks of my life. Chris has such a great outlook on everything, and when it comes down to it, he is just a gigantic music lover. He's like a walking talking, human encyclopedia. Lots of the time in the studio was spent listening to records over the speakers. I remember listening to a lot of Sloan, and Fleetwood Mac, and Quasi. With each song he would play, he would have some incredible knowledge about the way the record was made, or who played on it, or what city it was done in. It's really quite incredible how much he knows about so many different things.

From an engineering standpoint, Chris is absolutely stellar. He takes risks, and almost always succeeds. He is always searching for something different or inspiring. He makes you give the best performance you can possibly give by being positive and forthright. Since this record was made mostly by just me, it's difficult to get 'performances'. But Chris found a way to make me always try to get the best take possible. I can confidently say with my whole heart that Chris is one of the best producers/engineers in the game right now. It was an absolute pleasure to work with him.

Cream: Is the method of recording and mixing a song in one day something that you're going to stay with, or was it just a conceit for making this album?

Lerner: That's a good question! I think it is just something that we did for this record. I think it wasn't even intentional, at first. We only had two weeks to track and mix this record, essentially, so we really had to be swift in it's production. The idea of recording everything in one day, and then mixing it at the end was something that we figured out would be the best way to work after we had finished the first track. It's definitely an incredible way to make a record. There is no looking back, and you have to commit to things in the moment. I think that is a very different mentality from the way most people are making records with ProTools or Logic. I work in a studio, and I always hear people say "oh, we'll just fix that later". I guess we wanted to avoid that method all together.

Cream: Are you planning to visit Japan, or always love it from afar?

Lerner: For now it is love from afar. It is number one on my list of places to visit, and I'd like to go there very much.

Cream: Do you feel like you've been influenced by other one-man indie pop bands like Kleenex Girl Wonder or East River Pipe? If so, who and how?

Lerner: Yeah, most definitely. I remember really getting into those first two Brendan Benson records when I was younger. I really loved "Lapalco" a lot, and remember being intrigued by that being one person making a rock and roll record. A friend recently turned me on to a fellow from the 70's named Emitt Rhodes. Emitt was an 8-tracker, and he recorded all of his records by himself in his home. He played everything. When you listen to it, it's absolutely remarkable. I am still completely dumbfounded wondering how he managed to pull it off. Just the writing of the songs too. It's difficult to write 'parts' when you are all by yourself, but he obviously had no problems. Listen to his self titled record, and songs like "With My Face On the Floor" and "Fresh As A Daisy". Pretty incredible stuff.

Cream: What's the longest it's ever taken you to write a song?

Lerner: There is a song on this record called "All Of A Sudden" that was first written when I was living in England in 2006. It was basically the same chord structures as appears on the record, with none of the same lyrics. I remember revisiting those lyrics two to three times before it settling on what it on the record. So, that would probably be the longest one, and I guess you could say it took two and a half year to write it to the point it is at now.

Cream: Do you have a favorite sandwich?

Lerner: There will never be a better sandwich then The Shemp (RIP). It's not available anymore unfortunately. It came from my absolute favorite coffee shop ever (which is now closed) called Craniums in Seattle, Washington. The Shemp was the most amazing food creation I've ever eaten, and will probably ever eat. It had parmesan cheese, vinaigrette dressing, kalamta olives, lettuce, and spicy mustard on french bread. It usually came with sausage, but I am a vegetarian, so I would skip that. It may not sound like much, but man, it was heaven. I miss it every single day.